“The winner of the Excellence Award is Caitlin Gawlowski!” rings over the school intercom at the end of the day.
I was out on duty supervising students at dismissal and actually did not hear it the first time. “Why is everyone cheering and clapping in my direction?” I wondered. I was so surprised to have been selected for the Excellence Award at my school site, mostly because I have never won an award before.
I told my husband that I won the Excellence Award when I got home that night, and after his congratulations, his response was “I am really surprised that this is the only award you have won.” I did not become an educator for the sole purpose of winning awards and for recognition; I became an educator so that I could make a difference in the lives of children. That being said, after 11 years in the profession, being recognized for the work that I do with the Excellence Award really made an impact on the way I view my position.
Shortly after receiving my Excellence Award, I attended the Celebration of Accomplished Teaching hosted by the Arizona K12 Center to recognize new and maintained National Board Certified Teachers. The positive energy celebrating accomplished teaching lead to an incredible night, which again made an impact on the way I feel about the work I do as an educator.
These acts of appreciation are things that I have never experienced before in the workplace. It has made me more motivated to work hard and do the hard work that is required of an instructional coach. It got me thinking, what could happen if all of our teachers felt this valued all the time? What might be some ways I could be more intentional with recognizing the excellent things teachers at my school do every day? How can I show them how valued they are?
This inspired me to actively show the teachers at my school that I value them. The end of the year is hard; motivation is low, students are ready for summer break, and state and end-of-year testing wears everybody out, so naturally, this is a great time to show appreciation for our teachers. Here are some ways I am working to show my teachers that I value them:
1. Happy Grams – At my school, we frequently write Happy Grams to students to recognize the things they do well, and it is common practice to do this for our teachers as well. My goal is to give every teacher at least one Happy Gram with something specific I noticed they do that I appreciate.
2. Creative Spin on State Testing – State testing is an incredibly stressful time of year for teachers, students, and definitely site testing coordinators. I wanted to do something fun for the staff that would not distract from the guidelines of state testing, so I started a Walker Tracker challenge. Teachers are already proctoring during the test, so why not see who gets the most steps each day and give them a prize? Also, instead of creating a to-do list for teachers of all the things they need to do before, during, and after administering tests, I created a Bingo board filled with different tasks teachers need to do for state testing.
3. Little treats – I put together some spring-themed goody bags for the staff at school because one can never go wrong with chocolate.
I may not have an Excellence Award to give everyone every day, but I can show up for my teachers in small ways. When teachers feel valued, they do great things. I should know, I get to see them doing great things in classrooms every day.
How do you show your teachers they are valued?
Caitlin Gawlowski
Caitlin was born to be a teacher, although she did not realize that teaching was her calling until she went to college. She has always loved to write, and began college with the mindset of becoming a journalist. Before beginning her freshman year of college, she changed my major to Elementary Education on a whim and has never looked back. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University, and won the Outstanding Student Teacher Award during her student teaching experience in the Cave Creek Unified School District. Caitlin spent 9 years in the classroom teaching 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade. She became a National Board Certified Teacher in 2018, and holds a certificate in Early and Middle Childhood Literacy: Reading/Language Arts. The 2021-2022 school year marks the beginning of her 10th year teaching, where she will be working as an Academic Interventionist, and supporting other National Board candidates on their journey toward National Board certification. If she is lucky enough to have free time, you can find her traveling Arizona with her husband and son, spending time with her friends and family, taking group fitness classes, or enjoying a good book.